Straight-up Scandinavia: Understanding the smörgåsbord

by Anna Brones on

Smorgasbord is a word commonly used in the English language. The Merriam Webster Dictionary describes it as “a luncheon or supper buffet offering a variety of foods and dishes (as hors d’oeuvres, hot and cold meats, smoked and pickled fish, cheeses, salads, and relishes).” You can even use the word to describe a random mixture of things. But let’s take a look at its real meaning.

In Swedish the word is spelled smörgåsbord and breaks down into two parts: smörgås and bord. Smörgås of course means “sandwich” and bord means “table.” Scandinavians are big on open faced sandwiches and it is no surprise that one of their contributions to the global culinary vocabulary has to do with exactly that. This means that a true Scandinavian smorgasbord will always have a good selection of bread, butter and cheese, the beginnings of an excellent open faced sandwich. The first smorgasbord in America was seen at the 1939 World’s Fair held in New York, when Sweden’s delegation served up a traditional buffet as part of the exhibition. The American’s loved it so much they got rid of the pesky dots and rings over the “o” and “a” and americanized the word into its current state.

Although American lovers of Nordic culture like to use the word liberally, Scandinavians rarely use the word smorgasbord to refer to their buffets, and it is certainly not a staple of everyday life. Instead, the fancy buffet normally consisting of various fish like herring and salmon, even surströmming, cold meats and pates is saved for large gatherings, festive parties and special occasions. The most common variant on the theme is the julbord, the standard Christmas buffet which is served everywhere from family dinners to classy restaurants during the holiday season.

Thaipusam festival: Body piercing equals devotion and thanksgiving

by Jamie Rhein on

Thaipusam has passed and I’m wondering where I was. Back in November I planned to write a post, but it was too early. Now I’m late. But, considering that this festival is probably the most astounding event I’ve ever attended, consider this is a lesson in religion and culture–and perhaps some politics. The first year I lived in Singapore, one of the few countries where the holiday is celebrated, I blearily got out of bed 4:30 a.m. to head to Little India to catch some Thaipusam action. I had no idea how far people would go to prove their devotion. Intense is putting it mildly. This picture is just the beginning.

As with many aspects of Hinduism, this holiday, celebrated between the end of January or beginning of February, depending on the Tamil calendar, is a bit complex. Here’s the condensed version. As with many religious holidays, Hindu and otherwise, Thaipusam celebrates good winning over evil. In this case, the celebration commemorates the birthday of Lord Murugan (also called Subramaniam) the youngest son of Shiva and Parvati, as well as, his victory over the evil demon Soorapadman when he used the lance given to him by Parvati to vanquish the demon’s powers.

To give thanks to Lord Murugan for his banishment of evil, and for any good that has come their way over difficult times, some devotees will carry a kavadi a long distance to a Hindu temple. In Singapore, devotees start at one temple and walk three kilometers to another. In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, folks start off in the city and walk several miles to Batu Cave. At the cave, there are 272 steps to navigate to reach the entrance. (photo by nina.bruja, Flickr to right.)

A kavadi is typically a large metal frame decorated with colored paper, flowers or fruit. Some couple the carrying of a kavadi with piercing their bodies and/or faces with steel rods. Others will do things like hang oranges off their backs with steel fish hook like contraptions. Others will pull a kavadi that has been attached to their bodies with hooks. There’s more than one way to show devotion.

This festival is not just for devotees, others participate as well. There are food vendors, people selling trinkets, folks going to the temple to pray, and the devotees’ entourage of friends and family who offer support and help.

As squeamish as I am, I was amazed by the lack of bleeding by these piercings. Even when the steel was removed, I didn’t see any. People fast to purify themselves and to get ready for this, plus they psych themselves into a trance-like state in preparation for the piercing. Men are mostly the ones who go for major piercings. I did see some women pierce their cheeks.

It would be great to have a smell function so I could send the scent of the flowers, coconut milk, candles and incense your way. I can’t think of any other experience that is as much of a sensory overload as this one.

One detail I found quite interesting is that, although this holiday originated in India, it’s not widely celebrated there. The government, from what I understand, is not thrilled with it. One of the reasons it’s celebrated in Singapore is partly because of the large Tamil population there and the fact that Singapore believes in fostering religious freedom. Here’s a YouTube video that captures the essence of what happens in Singapore during th event. I’ve also been to Batu Caves, but months after Thaipusam. There were still remnants of kavadis.

Washington’s birthday–a virtual tour of Mt. Vernon

by Jamie Rhein on

Earlier this week I headed to Mt. Vernon. Not physically, but via Mt. Vernon’s Web site. I see lots and lots and lots of Web sites. Web site hopping is a great way to pass writing time. Mt. Vernon’s Web site is the Rolls Royce of sites. There is so much material that it’s easy to get lost in the wandering.

Details range from the reconstruction of a slave cabin to how to make Martha Washington’s Great Cake to every detail about George Washington’s house and gardens and his life, including before and after his presidency. In each section there are links that lead to more details. For example, when you go to the house and garden link there are other links to specific buildings. Each building has other links to more information. If you head to the Virtual Mansion Tour, you’ll find links to specific rooms in the main house. Each room of the house has more links. In the Large Dining Room, you can find out about the molding, the artwork, the furniture and the room’s purpose.

If you can’t make it to Mt. Vernon in person, spend some time at the Web site and you’ll think that you spent a week there. Besides that, you’ll know more about 17th and 18th century life in the U.S. than most people do. Did you know the Great Cake takes 40 eggs? I do now.

Each month there are special events. For Black History Month programs center around the contributions of the slaves who lived at Mt. Vernon and the lives they led. Here’s the page that details the history of slavery where George Washington was concerned.

GADLING TAKE 5: Week of 2-22-2008

by Catherine Bodry on

The weather here in Seward has been so terrible it’s a wonder I ever left the house. I should’ve churned out more than 100 posts with all the indoor-activity-inducing weather, but since we still don’t have all our daylight back I’ve been feeling a bit slushy and gray — a lot like our weather. And, I’m modeling myself after other famous freelance-writers. Thankfully, the rest of the Gadling group has been on it, and here’s what they brought you this week:

That’s all. I hope your weather is fabulous this weekend. As for me, I’m going to think snow.

Apparently, writers are homebodies

by Iva Skoch on

This could be a big problem for me: “Many authors are homebodies deeply connected to where they live. After all, it’s where they work,” after seeing this line, I just had to open the full article in NY Times. If, in fact, most good writers are homebodies, I better start looking for a new job.

As it turns out, they are not really homebodies. (Thank you, Mark Twain! Thanks Hemingway!) Most of them are just really connected to their homes. I can live with that. I am also connected to my home(s), although I couldn’t tell you right now where my real home actually is. I can see this could potentically be a whole set of problems.

Anyway, read this article by Pamela Redmond Satran if you want to check out how a few of the world’s greatest writers lived. For me, I love getting a little inspiration from seeing where and how great authors worked. I wrote about the Mark Twain house in Hartford, CT on gadling before. Satran also recommends checking out the Dickens house in London, Edith Wharton’s house in Lenox, Mass., Eugene O’Neill’s house in San Francisco, Kipling’s in Brattleboro, VT and, of course, Hemingway’s in Key West.